Hi guys, today, we will be trying out another plant based brand from Malaysia – Nanka.
In the Malay language, Nan(g)ka actually means jackfruit, a fruit which originates from parts of India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka – which is their signature and primary meat substitute of choice!
According to their official website, Jackfruit is a good option and in fact superior to Soy and Wheat because:
- it has a similar cellular structure to meat and able to absorb natural flavors
- provides lots of fiber, vitamin C and A, potassium, calcium, and iron, which relates to disease prevention and even removal of the heavy metal cadmium.
- majority of soy is genetically modified and contains hormones. While, wheat contains gluten, which can cause allergy
I did a quick search to check out the substance of their claims because to be honest, this is the first brand that I came across that is using Jackfruit and I’m thoroughly intrigued.
In summary, it appears that Jackfruit is indeed has higher vitamin and fiber content but is lower in protein content compared to Soy. Maybe that’s why Soy remains the most popular meat substitute. Nevertheless, it’s always good to explore different meat substitute options!
Nanka has 3 types of patty:
- 100% plant-based patty with mushrooms – this is the one I bought for RM19.00
- Mixed plant & chicken patty (70% plant, 30% chicken)
- Mixed plant & beef patty (70% plant, 30% beef)
If you’d like to know more about the brand, you can check out the BFM radio interview with the founder here.
Compared to the other brands which are widely available in grocery stores where I can easily pick it up – it appears that you can only purchase it directly from their website – which means you’ll incur shipping fees. I paid RM10 for it, which came out to RM29 in total. Including shipping, I’d say it leans towards the premium side compared to the other brands which I have reviewed before.
So without further ado, let’s put it to the taste test! As usual, I’m going to whip up something simple.
Today’s recipe is a fuss free burger with the staples:
- onions
- lettuce
- sliced tomatoes
- Nanka patty
- fried egg
- tofu sauce as the spread (just blend half a tofu till smooth, 2 cloves of garlic and add all the spices of your choice)
Based on the packaging, I’m supposed to heat the pan to 175-182C and cook it between 2-4mins on each side. Compared to others, Nanka has a way shorter cooking time and I think for good reason cause of its higher water content. It browns very easily and taste really chewy. I could definitely taste hints of jackfruit in the patty but because I like the fruit, I really didn’t mind it. It was fragrant and tasty!
Overall, I liked it but I didn’t quite like that I had to pay a shipping fee, and comparing to the budget options which offers an equally good taste profile, I’d go for Pacific Greens or Linda McCartney’s Food. I would repurchase to support but it wouldn’t be top on my list. Nevertheless, I’m so glad that there are so many local brands coming up with high quality products in this space.
I’m looking forward as they expand their product line.
If you want to check them out, here are their social media handles:
Gudeiary 